Numerous devices have been developed for curling or crimping eyelashes. The most popular eyelash curler currently available is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the eyelash curler 10 is formed of wire into the shape of a scissors or pliers with a stationary member 12 and a moving member 14 that rotates about the stationary member 12 on an axle 16. Each member 12 and 14 has a finger grip 18 and 20, respectively, through which the thumb and the index finger of one hand are slipped to operate the curler 10. The curler 10 is positioned in front of the face 22 with the eyelashes 24 from the eyelid 25 of one eye 28 passing between the stationary jaw 30 and the moving jaw 32. The stationary jaw 30 is positioned either on or slightly away from the eyelid 25 and ideally does not move during the crimping operation. The eyelashes 24 are crimped when the finger grip 20 is moved toward the finger grip 18 forcing the moving member 14 to rotate on the axle 16 pushing a connector member 34 upward thereby pushing the moving jaw 32 upward against the stationary jaw 30. As shown in the enlarged sectional and partially cut away view of FIG. 3, the eyelashes 24 are trapped between the jaws 30 and 32 when the finger grips 18 and 20 are squeezed together. The stationary jaw 30 is a metal blade rectangular in cross section. The moving jaw 32 has a resilient firm rubber pad 36 also rectangular in cross section when not under compression. The stationary jaw 30 is welded to the stationary member 12. The moving jaw 32 includes a rigid metal carrier 38 welded to the connector member 34 and collars 40 and 42 on each end as shown in FIG. 1. The collars 40 and 42 retain the moving jaw 32 on the stationary member 12 allowing the moving jaw 32 to move up or down along the stationary member 12 as the finger grips 18 and 20 are pinched together or released. As the rectangular blade of the moving jaw 32 is pressed into the rubber pad 36, the rubber pad 36 compresses forming a square cornered "U". The eyelashes 24 are crimped at the two bottom corners of the "U" around the two bottom edges 44 and 46 of the stationary jaw 30. Crimping bends the eyelash shafts at sharp angles. When the eyelash curler 10 is removed, the eyelashes 24 retain the two bends or crimps giving the eyelashes an upward curved appearance.
Several problems are created by the design of the eyelash curler 10. Pinching of the eyelid 26 or other skin around the eye 28 often occurs between the stationary jaw 30 and the rubber pad 36 when the curler 10 is squeezed. The stationary jaw 30 is initially positioned with respect to the eyelid 26 by placing the inner side 48 of the stationary jaw 30 against the eyelid 26. The stationary jaw 30 is then moved slightly away from the eyelid 26. Alternatively, the stationary jaw 30 is positioned visually on the eyelashes 24. In either case, the eyelashes 24 are crimped as close as possible to the eyelid 26 in order to achieve the maximum lift on the outer ends 50. If the jaws 30 and 32 are too far away from the eyelid 26, little visible curling occurs. If the jaws 30 and 32 are too close, the rubber pad 36 may press the eyelid 26 against the stationary jaw 30 causing a painful pinch. The curler 10 may also pinch by catching a small portion of the eyelid at the inner or outer corners between the collar 42 and the stationary member 12 as indicated by the arrow 52 in FIG. 3 causing a pinch when the collar 42 moves up.
Maintenance of any set position of the stationary jaw 30 during the squeezing process is always a problem due to the scissors action of the curler 10 and the distance of the finger grips 18 and 20 from the jaws 30 and 32. The stationary jaw 30 is preferably kept at a single position slightly off the eyelid 26 during the crimping process. The position of the stationary jaw 30 is determined primarily by the position of the stationary finger grip 18 and secondarily by the moving finger grip 20 through the axle 16. During the scissors action, the natural tendancy of the hand is to move the finger grips 18 and 20 toward each other. The result is movement of the stationary jaw 30 away from the desired position. This problem is compounded by the distance between the finger grip 18 and the stationary jaw 30. Any movement of the finger grip 18 is magnified at the stationary jaw 30. Thus, for example, a small unintended rotation of the statinary finger grip 18 on the order of 5.degree. during the squeezing process will easily move the stationary jaw 30 far from the eyelid 25 resulting in an unsatisfactory crimp of the eyelashes 24. On the other hand, over compensation for this operating characteristic of the curler 10 in the opposite direction can easily place the stationary jaw 30 against the eyelid 26 which may lead to a painful pinch.
The shapes of the jaws 30 and 32 and the scissors action may also cause pulling, over-curling, and cutting of the eyelashes 24. As illustrated in FIG. 3, during the crimping process the eyelashes 24 are trapped between the bottom of the rectangular stationary jaw 30 and the rubber pad 36. Most of the pressure between the two jaws 30 and 32 is focused between the bottom edges 44 and 46 and the rubber pad 36. The eyelashes 24 are therefore primarily held at these positions. Any movement of the stationary jaw 30 away from the eyelid 26 during the crimping process can easily result in the pulling of one or more eyelashes 24 from the eyelid 26. Excessive pressure between the jaws 30 and 32 may result in the over-curling or cutting of the eyelashes 24. Because both the bottom of the stationary jaw 30 and the top of the rubber pad 36 are flat, significant pressure is required to depress the top of the hard rubber pad 36 into the shape required to properly crimp the eyelashes 24. Inadequate pressure results in no crimping of the eyelashes 24. Excessive pressure results in the bottom edges 44 and 46 digging into the eyelashes 24 causing damage by excessive bending or cutting of the eyelashes. The cutting is caused by the sliding action between the bottom edges 44 and 46 and the squared sides of the depressed rubber pad 36 as the edges are pushed into the pad. The ideal pressure range to achieve a desired result is relatively narrow often causing the user to repeat the crimping process several times before a desire result is achieved. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,252,742 and 2,391,047 show scissors type eyelash curlers similar to the eyelash curler 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.
Plunger type eyelash curlers which avoid the scissors action are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,951,130; 2,129,755; 2,393,848; 2,411,519; 2,552,095; 2,584,668; and 2,684,679 and in French Pat. Nos. 907,936 and 945,545. Of these, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,951,130 and 2,129,755 and French Pat. No. 945,545 have a wiper action where a lower member wipes the eyelashes up against the outside of a rigid upper member as the lower member is pushed up. The remainder have rigid lower and upper jaws which abut when pushed together.
Most of the above plunger type eyelash curlers require the use of two hands for positioning and operation. Furthermore, the devices in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,129,755; 2,393,848; 2,584,668; and 2,984,679 and French Pat. No. 945,545 appear to be designed for use only by a person to perform the curling treatment on someone else. The lack of a jaw pad in U.S. Pat. No. 2,411,519 and the hard pads in U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,095 and French Pat. No. 907,936 suggest that two handed operation is required in order to achieve sufficient pressure between the jaws to curl the eyelashes. Also, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,411,519 and 2,552,095, the close relative positions of the thumb and finger grips at the bottoms of the devices decrease stability and do not allow the utilization of the maximum strength of the hand which occurs when the fingers are partially open. An eyelash curler that has a movement parallel to the face, is stable at all positions during movement, is easily used by one hand, and has a pad and head with a jaw structure optimizing the curling of the eyelashes while minimizing the hand force necessary would provide significant advantages over the prior art devices.